1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus having a function for performing recording so that a still image is displayed while a moving image is being played back, an image playback control apparatus for controlling the playback of recorded data, a processing method therefor, and a program for enabling a computer to execute the method.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, types of video cameras that are capable of capturing a moving image and a still image and that have both functions of a video camera and a digital still camera of the related art have increased. Furthermore, types of video cameras that are capable of simultaneously recording a still image while a moving image is being captured have increased. Most video cameras capable of simultaneously recording a still image while a moving image is being captured are such that, when the image-captured data is to be played back, a moving image desired to be played back or a still image desired to be displayed is selected from, for example, a menu screen displayed in a thumbnail format, and the moving image and the still image are played back independently of each other so that, for the moving image, only the moving image is played back, and for the still image, only the still image is played back.
When an image-taking person simultaneously captures a moving image and a still image in practice, in most cases, a still image is captured at the decisive moment while a moving image is being captured. In the case of a video camera of the related art, the moving image and the still image that should have been recorded simultaneously are played back independently of each other, and thus, it is difficult to feel a sense of realism. If the simultaneously recorded moving image and still image can be displayed in such a manner as to be switched from the playback of the moving image to the still image and is displayed at the timing the still image was captured while the moving image is being captured even if a user is not conscious of that fact, the sense of realism at the time of image capturing can be enjoyed.
In order to solve such problems, a technology has been proposed in which, when a still image is being captured while a moving image is being captured, these pieces of data are stored in such a manner as to be associated with each other, the information is clearly expressed to the user during playback, and by freely switching between the moving image and the still image by the user, images are displayed in such a manner as to have an association between the simultaneously recorded moving image and still image also during playback (refer to, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-312218 (FIG. 12)).